World Cup Quarterfinals Preview: How France, Spain, Argentina and the Final Eight Got Here

The World Cup field is down to eight, and for the first time since the expanded tournament kicked off, none of the three host nations are still in it. The United States, Canada, and Mexico all bowed out in the Round of 16, leaving the rest of the knockout rounds to be decided entirely on American soil without an American team to cheer for. Six of the eight remaining quarterfinalists are European, Morocco stands alone as Africa’s last team standing, and Argentina is South America’s lone survivor. The star power hasn’t thinned out at all: Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Harry Kane have combined for 28 goals so far, and every one of them is still alive heading into the final eight.

Here’s how each quarterfinal came together, how the teams are trending, and what’s worth watching before the whistle.

France vs. Morocco

France opens quarterfinal weekend on Thursday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, and no team in the tournament has looked more buttoned-up. Les Bleus rolled past Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32, then ground out a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the Round of 16 on a Kylian Mbappe penalty, with Paraguay leaning hard on physical, disruptive tactics to try to knock Mbappe off his game. It didn’t work. France remains unbeaten and hasn’t allowed a single goal all tournament, a run of clean sheets that has this team looking every bit like the favorite on paper. Mbappe has been the headline act with 7 goals, but the midfield trio of Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Mbappe himself has been the real engine behind the run.

Morocco’s path has been far more dramatic. The Atlas Lions needed penalties just to get out of the Round of 32, drawing the Netherlands 1-1 before winning the shootout 4-3. In the Round of 16 against Canada, Morocco fell behind and struggled for large stretches before erupting for three second-half goals in a 3-0 win, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring twice and Brahim Diaz and Achraf Hakimi combining for three assists between them. The concern heading into Thursday is Ismael Saibari, who left the Canada match early with a hamstring injury. Saibari has been Morocco’s most dangerous attacker all tournament, becoming just the second African player ever to score three goals in a single World Cup, and he also converted the winning penalty in the shootout against the Netherlands. His availability is uncertain, and Hakimi is also carrying a yellow card into the match. This is a rematch of the 2022 semifinal, which France won 2-0.

Spain vs. Belgium

Spain heads into Friday’s match at SoFi Stadium as one of two teams left in the field that still hasn’t conceded a goal. The reigning European champions cruised past Austria 3-0 in the Round of 32, then edged Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16 when substitute Mikel Merino scored in stoppage time off a Ferran Torres assist. That result extended Spain’s unbeaten streak to 35 games, a run that stretches back to their penalty-shootout exit against Morocco in the 2022 World Cup Round of 16. The one lingering question mark is 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, who is still working his way back to full match fitness after a hamstring issue.

Belgium got to this point the hard way. Down 0-2 to Senegal in the Round of 32, the Red Devils stormed back to win 3-2 in extra time, then followed it up with a statement 4-1 demolition of the United States in the Round of 16. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in that win, Romelu Lukaku added a goal off the bench, and Hans Vanaken capped the scoring on an assist from De Ketelaere. Belgium is leaning heavily on its veteran core to make this run happen: goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is 34, Lukaku is 33 and still producing in a reserve role, Kevin De Bruyne is 35 and was rested against the Americans, and winger Leandro Trossard is 31. Midfielder Amadou Onana is out for the tournament with an ACL injury.

Norway vs. England

Norway’s presence in this bracket is one of the true stories of the tournament. This is the first World Cup appearance for Norway since 1998 and the first quarterfinal in the country’s history. They beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the Round of 32, then delivered the shock of the knockout rounds by beating five-time champions Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16, with Erling Haaland scoring twice late to seal it. Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland has quietly been one of the best players in the tournament, coming up with a string of key saves to keep Brazil at bay, but Haaland has been the centerpiece of the entire run.

England arrives at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday having reached the quarterfinal stage for the third straight World Cup. Their path included a 2-1 win over DR Congo in the Round of 32 before a wild 3-2 win over Mexico at Estadio Azteca in the Round of 16, a match defined by Jude Bellingham scoring twice in a span of just 98 seconds. Harry Kane also got on the scoresheet, drawing defenders on the same sequences that helped free up Bellingham, and Kane’s own goal came off a Bukayo Saka cross that won the penalty. Saka is still managing an Achilles injury and has had his minutes carefully managed as a result, though he’s remained productive whenever he’s been on the field.

Argentina vs. Switzerland

Saturday’s nightcap at Arrowhead Stadium features the last South American team standing against a Swiss side making history of its own. Argentina has needed extra time and dramatic comebacks in back-to-back rounds, beating Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time in the Round of 32 before rallying from a 2-0 deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16, with Lionel Messi scoring twice during the comeback. Messi leads the tournament’s Golden Boot race with 8 goals and is the only player to have found the net in all five of Argentina’s matches so far. The bigger question surrounding this team is fatigue, given how many taxing, close matches they’ve had to grind through just to get here.

Switzerland’s road has been quieter but no less historic. A 2-0 win over Algeria in the Round of 32 set up a 0-0 draw with Colombia through 120 scoreless minutes in the Round of 16, with the Swiss eventually winning the shootout 4-3. This is Switzerland’s first World Cup quarterfinal since they hosted the tournament back in 1954. The run comes with a real cost, though: breakout star Johan Manzambi suffered a knee injury in training before the Colombia match, and his absence was felt immediately in a Swiss attack that has had to find other ways to create chances.

The Road to MetLife Stadium

From here, the semifinals fall on July 14 and July 15, with the final set for Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Every remaining match will be played in the United States, and with six European sides, one African side, and one South American side left, the quarterfinals carry a genuinely global mix of styles, storylines, and history. Whichever direction these four matchups break, the run to the final is shaping up to be one of the more compelling stretches of soccer this tournament has offered, and it’s worth keeping an eye on the Champions League odds and Premier League odds boards, since several of these same players will be right back in domestic action once the tournament wraps. For those tracking lines throughout the rest of the knockout rounds, it also helps to understand how betting odds work and to compare sportsbook promo codes before placing anything, while fans who want to follow the action in real time can check out options for live betting markets across the remaining rounds. A full list of top sportsbooks is also available for anyone looking to compare platforms before the semifinals arrive.